Former Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady is arguably one of the greatest NBA players of all time without a championship ring.
RegalMag.com All-Time NBA Team of Retired Players Without Championship Rings
The measure of an iconic professional basketball career revolves around winning championship rings.
Great players do not always have championship rings.
But the greatest to ever play the game usually include nothing but champions.
However, some of the best to ever play in the National Basketball Association never reached that ultimate accomplishment.
Whether their career ended abruptly because of injury or they just did not have the pieces to get over the hump, that championship ring eluded many of the best players.
Elgin Baylor could not get past the vaunted Boston Celtics.
Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and John Stockton could not beat their nemesis Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
And Allen Iverson could not get past the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Nevertheless, coming up short in the conference finals or the NBA Finals should not diminish the legacy of some of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball.
In honor of the upcoming NBA playoffs, RegalMag.com decided to come up with an all-time team of retired NBA players who never won an NBA championship, complete with starters and reserves.
Enjoy!
Starters
Small Forward—Elgin Baylor (Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers): NBA career stats: 27.4 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 4.3 APG from 1958-1972
Power Forward—Karl Malone (Utah Jazz; Los Angeles Lakers): NBA career stats: 25.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.6 APG from 1985-2004
Center—Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks; Seattle Supersonics; Orlando Magic): NBA career stats: 21.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.9 APF from 1985-2002
Shooting Guard—Reggie Miller (Indiana Pacers): NBA career stats: 18.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.0 APG from 1987-2005
Point Guard—Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers; Denver Nuggets; Detroit Pistons; Memphis Grizzlies): NBA career stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG from 1996-2010
Reserves
Power Forward—Charles Barkley (Philadelphia 76ers; Phoenix Suns; Houston Rockets): NBA careers stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG from 1984-2000
Shooting Guard—Pete Maravich (Atlanta Hawks; New Orleans/Utah Jazz; Boston Celtics): NBA career stats: 24.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.4 APG from 1970-1980
Small Forward/Shooting Guard—Chris Mullin (Golden State Warriors; Indiana Pacers): NBA career stats: 18.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.5 APG from 1985-2001
Small Forward—Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks; Los Angeles Clippers; Boston Celtics; San Antonio Spurs; Orlando Magic): NBA career stats: 24.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.5 APG from 1982-1999 (*played 1995-96 in Greece and 1997-98 in Italy)
Small Forward/Shooting Guard—Tracy McGrady (Toronto Raptors; Orlando Magic; Houston Rockets; New York Knicks; Detroit Pistons; Atlanta Hawks; San Antonio Spurs): NBA career stats: 19.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.4 APG from 1997-2012
Small Forward—Bernard King (New Jersey Nets; Utah Jazz; Golden State Warriors; New York Knicks; Washington Bullets): NBA career stats: 22.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.3 APG from 1977-1993 (*did not play 1985-86 or 1991-92 seasons due to knee injuries)
Point Guard—Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns; Dallas Mavericks; Los Angeles Lakers): NBA career stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG from 1996-2014
Center—Bob Lanier (Detroit Pistons; Milwaukee Bucks): NBA career stats: 20.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.1 APG from 1970-1984
Point Guard—John Stockton (Utah Jazz): NBA career stats: 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG from 1984-2003
Center/Power Forward—Nate Thurmond (San Francisco/Golden State Warriors; Chicago Bulls; Cleveland Cavaliers): NBA career stats: 15.0 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 2.7 APG from 1963-1977
Magazine Topics:
- Cavaliers Parade Unites Cleveland Like Never Before
- Regal Mag’s 10 Biggest What-Ifs in NBA History
- Basketball
- Insiders Say Racism in Basketball Not Reason for Lockout
- National Basketball Association
- Hoops HOF Class Succeeded by Overcoming Adversity
- Fans Debate Next LeBron James Team
- Honoring Off-Court Legacy of Manute Bol
- 2010-11 NBA Season Preview
- 2014-15 NBA Southwest Division Preview
- 2014-15 NBA Central Division Preview
- Are White NBA Players Facing Uphill Battle for Acceptance?
- Five Sports Stories That Deserve 30 for 30 Treatment
- Regal Mag’s All-Time, All Louisiana NBA Team
- Regal Mag’s All-Time, All Florida NBA Team
- Michael Jordan Does More for Community than it Appears
- Could Not Put Ring On It: Best NBA Teams to Lose in NBA Finals
- Kyrie Irving Might Have New Sneaker Home with Black-Owned Shoe Brand
- Coming for That Number One Spot: Best NBA Players to Wear Each Number 00-99